The San Francisco Chronicle stopped by the other day and interviewed the crew of Obtainium Works as part of a larger feature about the growing arts scene in Vallejo. Much of the verbage came straight from our website!
SFGATE: Makers, painters, steampunk bohemians all flock to Vallejo’s eclectic art scene
http://m.sfgate.com/news/article/Makers-painters-steampunk-bohemians-all-flock-12285826.php#21
Once Again, the local newspaper covers our wacky little adventures!
The London Speedster
Once again, Obtainium Works is a featured Maker at the 2017 MAKER FAIRE! Come see us on May 20-21 and our latest creation: the London Speedster! (any resemblance to another contraption is pure coincidence!)
The new event schedule is now available for 2017!
April 14: 5th Anniversary party at the Empress Theatre! (Premiere of "Vintage Tomorrows" documentary featuring Obtainium Works!)
May 19-21: Maker Faire at San Mateo Fairgrounds
July 4th: Parade in downtown Vallejo
July 22-23: Obtainium Cup & Art Car Jam
August 28-Sept 1: Burning Man in Nevada
October 28-29: Halloween Murder Mystery Dinner Theater
December 2: Mad Hatter Holiday Parade
All events are in Vallejo, California unless otherwise posted.
As usual, the shop is open on Sundays for work days and tours.
The Mad Hatter Festival in Vallejo gets “curiouser and curiouser” every year.
The Festival is an amalgamation of all sorts of creative expression, from art cars, to singers, to dancing Spanish horses doing the polka; to a 12-foot high, 20-foot long mechanical rhinoceros that shoots flames out of its tusk.
Oh and Santa, of course.
Come check out the whimsy!
http://www.timesheraldonline.com/lifestyle/20161125/obtainium-again-whole-hog-in-mad-hatter-festival
Yes! That's right! For two nights only! It's a scary variation on the classic Sherlock Holmes story: "The Hound of the Hibernians, A Murder Mystery" will shock you and possibly get slobbered upon! Ewww! Plus if you arrive early, there will be a 1920's themed SpookEasy Haunted House for the whole family!
Dates: October 29 & 30th, 2016
Times:
Haunted House: 4:00pm to 7:30pm
Dinner and Show: 7:30pm to 11:00pm (Showtime: 9:00pm)
Show only: 9:00pm to 11:00pm
Price:
Haunted House: $5.00 (pay at the door)
Appetizers, Cocktails, Dinner, and Show: $35
Show only: $15
Tickets: https://www.paypal.me/ObtainiumWorks
Obtainium Works likes Bob! We want to support his bid for Vallejo Mayor this election season by throwing him a fundraiser party! In proper Obtainium Style, of course! So put on your loudest Hawaiian shirt and join the luau at the TIKI PARTY FUNDRAISER at Obtainium Works Studio!
Date: June 25th, 2016
Time: 6:30pm-8:30pm
Location: Obtainium Works, 510 Pennsylvania Ave., Vallejo, CA
Admission: $35 suggested donation
Image from Vintage Tomorrows.
Holy Cow! The steampunk documentary "Vintage Tomorrows," produced and directed by Byrd McDonald and host by our very own Mr. James Carrott, has been picked up by Samuel Goldwyn film for global distribution!
"The movie includes a collection of Steampunk’s pioneering voices, including writers William Gibson, Bruce Sterling, China Miéville, Cherie Priest, Gail Carriger; graphic novelists Paul Guignon and Anina Bennett; musicians Abney Park and Erica “Unwoman” Mulkey; and artists Shannon O’Hare and the Neverwas Haul gang."
https://variety.com/2016/film/news/steampunk-documentary-vintage-tomorrows-comic-con-1201776766/
Damn the blinkies! Full Steam Ahead!
Here are some classic photos of the Neverwas crew plus other steampunk folks taken by the talented Michael Rauner in 2009.
Look at these youngsters!
Found this photographer's website which covered the 2010 Neverwas Haul Fundraiser for Burning Man at the Shipyard in Berkeley. Ahh, those were fun times!
Come celebrate the madness of contraptions!
It's 5th celebration of the opening of Obtainium Works in Vallejo! Enjoy the music, fanfare, food and drink for only $35/pp.
Litz the SF Opera Lady, O Happy Dagger, and DJ Grego with Karaoke until late into the evening! There also will be fire! <FIRE! FIRE! FIRE!>
Where: Obtainium Works, 510 Pennsylvania St., Vallejo, CA
When: Saturday, March 26, 2016 (6pm – Midnight)
Price: $35/per person; over 21 only
For more information, call 925-254-7643
*Note: please do not leave valuables in your vehicles
Thanks to Sparky Jewell for his expert drone videography for capturing the crew assembling the Neverwas Haul at its temporary home at the Duck Club, just outside of Vallejo.
Samuel Coniglio and Katherine Becvar, of Oakland, pilot their vehicle "Wasted Spirits" through the Flying Monkey obstacle during the 2015 Obtanium Cup Contraptor's Road Rally held at Mare Island, Sunday, July 19, 2015, in Vallejo. (Steve Reczkowski/Daily Republic)
http://www.dailyrepublic.com/news/solanocounty/creators-contraptions-vie-for-obtanium-cup/
VALLEJO — A subtle dig at Donald Trump, a pedal-powered land shark, complete with camouflage, and a horseless carriage 2.0 were just some of the contraptions that surfaced at Sunday’s Obtainium Cup Contraptor’s Rally on Mare Island.
The fourth annual race, which was a four-mile route, is all about pedal power. Racers also encountered zombies, flying monkeys (stuffed animals) and a Mad Hatter tea party along the route.
By Chris Riley, Vallejo Times-Herald
A flying monkey stood on a street corner as an over-sized white cat passed by, pursued by a giant purple octopus. It sounds like something straight out of a child’s nightmare, but it was actually the glorious start to the Obtainium Cup Contraptor’s Rally on Sunday in Vallejo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzfCSjaV4eg
A fun little interview with Byrd McDonald about the making of "Vintage Tomorrows." The Neverwas Haul is prominently featured.
http://www.forcesofgeek.com/2015/07/vintage-tomorrows-review.html
Tinkering is not only expected but it’s damn near a religion. You are expected to remake things in a historical fashion. You are to be a learned person who knows the intricacies of technological Victorian London or turn-of-the-century New York City and understand how to make devices to solve crimes, fly to the moon or create a mechanical carriage with a three-story home on it, complete with a library (and yes, this is an actual thing and it is called the Neverwas Haul built by Shannon O’Hare- it's in the documentary).
Byrd McDonald, director of "Vintage Tomorrows"
http://www.forcesofgeek.com/2015/07/fog-chats-with-byrd-mcdonald-director.html
So, steampunks don't want to throw innovation away. But they would like to touch the insides of their devices, even if it voids the warranty. Most of all, steampunk says customize technology, make it your own, and understand how it works.
Steampunk asks you to have an active, not passive, relationship with technology.
http://www.timesheraldonline.com/general-news/20150708/vallejo-art-community-loses-truck-in-fire
Monday began as an ordinary day in Shannon O’Hare’s life.
Little did he know things were quickly going to go up in smoke — literally.
Shannon O'Hare as Major Catastrophe.
http://fangirlish.com/byrd-mcdonald-vintage-tomorrows-sdcc-interview/
"The Maker Movement is perhaps the most fascinating elements of steampunk, and you highlight a wide variety of inventions and contraptions in the movie. Do you have a favorite among the featured works?
Byrd: Yeah, for sure: the Neverwas Hall. It’s just insanely cool. It’s a house on wheels, and it’s – you, know, it’s a house! There’s a library on it. The guys who made that are just the coolest people. They live to make cool shit, and they do it by dumpster diving and finding things that they can reclaim and repurpose, and what they do is astounding to me. They make sculpture art cars, and I think that stuff is the coolest stuff. They are Burning Man people, and when they initially had built this object, they had no idea that steampunk was a thing. They were cool to become a part of the community, but they’re doing it just because they need to do something. They choose not to be passive; they want to make stuff all the time.”